


muscle memory.

by rioshika



Category: Radiant Historia
Genre: F/M, Five Times, Vague Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-06-09
Packaged: 2018-04-03 13:43:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4103047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rioshika/pseuds/rioshika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raynie has never been one good with words, so she stays silent when it matters the most.</p><p>(Five moments about Raynie and her feelings for Stocke.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	muscle memory.

**Author's Note:**

> first time writting for radiant historia! honestly, this was something i wrote out of frustration after being stuck on chapter three for hours. i have knowledge of how the game continues though, but if you notice a continuity error, then please feel free to tell me so.

**one.**

 

She has seen him before, somewhere, but she's not sure where. Of course, her work as mercenary has led her to see many faces, some of them more remarkable than others, yet upon asking Marco he says that _no_ \- they had never seen Stocke before, although he'd thought the same upon seeing the blond man.

 

"Nevermind, then," for it doesn't matter, not really, it's fine; she might at some point, and if she doesn't, then there's that. The day continues, they get their mission assigned and no, there are no signs of Stocke knowing either of them prior, yet he does seem rather... "uncomfortable" after a while, making her wonder why, because as far as she knows, neither her nor Marc have done something stupid (yet). It's almost funny to think about it; Stocke is a stranger- there's something that makes the black-haired woman trust him almost blindly (Marco does chastize her for that, boss as Stocke might be).

* * *

 

**two.**

 

Raynie has never been of the romantic sort. Marco often laughed at her and her lack of "lady-like character" (not that she has ever cared, or she ever will), but sometimes she wonders about the what if's. Would he be more interested in her if she was more like, say, princess Eruca? Or maybe Sonja, who seems to be a good friend of his. Those are thoughts she tries to keep away as far as she can, it is not healthy nor worth her time, mostly, plus it's stupid to even entertain the thought of him reciprocating her feelings.

 

As of lately, though, Stocke notices a slight change in her character, if only on her posture and manners (and it's surprising, really, since he's so used to wild and fun and _simply wonderful_ Raynie). Not particularly noticeable at first glance, but she is an observant person who catches up quickly on body language and manners. Maybe she has been watching closely princess Eruca, and yes, maybe she ought to not copy the same way the blond girl crosses her ankles when sitting, but _who cares_ , really?

* * *

 

**three.**

 

The stars, as folk tend to say, indeed shine brighter in the desert. They make love slowly, with the sky as their only witness. Words have never came easily to the black-haired woman, but at the moment she could describe the situation in a thousand ways- flowery language included. The sand feels funny underneath her legs, he misses her lips on several attempts, she laughs at his clumsiness and he smiles at her enthusiasm. It's contagious, really, specially when her laugh is so charming to the point where he's doubting going back in time- not that Raynie would ever know, nor she needs to.

 

He never knew she was a poet, and she thinks, " _just when I'm with you_ ". The next day, he takes his book, and everything that ever happened is only a distant memory of a bittersweet "what could have been". He could go back to this moment whenever he wanted, that's true, but it feels almost unfair to do the same thing to Raynie again, even if it does help keep his sanity on shape (because there's only so much tragedy he can stand).

* * *

 

**four.**

 

The feel of his heart beating against her ear is exciting and frightening at the same time. She knows that the next day one of them could die, that the world might end or that either of them might meet someone new. The first two scare her the most, because those can't be changed, but the third- she'd be okay with it, she supposes.

 

A weight around her waist, his arms, are a hopeful promise- and a cofession too, albeit a silent one. He's a man of few words, she has come to notice; it's completely fine by her, for the most part. There's a gentleness and a strange sensation, something that when put to words probably wouldn't make sense, but if she must, Raynie would say it's _soft_. Stocke might seem cold at first glance, yet underneath all that rock-hard exterior there's a softness hidden deep down. "This is not a fairytale," for she is no princess and he is no prince, but it might as well be one at this rate.

 

(Except Stocke _is_ a prince, but she doesn't know it, he isn't sure yet- and even then, it doesn't matter in the slightest.)

* * *

 

**five.**

 

When Stocke comes back (she's glad he's still Stocke, not Ernst or _who knows who_ ) they pack their things and spend many nights on the desert, hot and uncomfortable as it might be. It feels right to watch the stars there, somehow, as if it happened before (though Raynie's sure it hasn't). The blond studies every inch of her body, she does the same for him. It's surprising, to say the least, to find freckles in his back (they are cute in a way, though, and it's funny to see the almost-pout in his usually serious face), though scars not so much. Likewise, it's fun for him to find her ticklish spots, some scars too, and Stocke loves the feel of her skin under his hands. The flesh feels tender, but he can feel the muscle from many a battle underneath his touch. It's a comfortable sensation; he knows she can be soft if she wants to, but should the need to defend herself arise, she has the means to do so (and he's seen her fight, has done so for dozens of years already). At the same time, they find in each other something worth protecting, more than anything else in the world, even if it's not necessarily at all anymore.

 

It's still not a fairytale ending; the world might still end at some point, although the idea seems so far from her current worries, the same ones that used to keep her up at night, when she thought everybody else would be sleeping. He's still got a lot of catching up to do, but as the next awkward kiss and clumsy love confession comes, Raynie thinks that she's got a pretty good life ahead of her, just as the sun begins to appear at the horizon.


End file.
